relationship with Jesus

James 2:26 – Faith in Action

^“Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” (James 2:26)

This is a great memory verse to remind us to be transparent in living out our faith. It’s not meant to say that what we do matters in terms of our salvation. To me, it is not contrary to what Paul taught about faith in Jesus but only complements it beautifully.

Context (James 2:14-26): The author, James, is believed to be the half-brother of Jesus and a leader in the early church. In James’ teaching, he shares how he believes that our good deeds result from our faith. Faith and works go together and can’t be separated. In this passage, James uses two examples, Abraham and Rahab, to show great faithfulness and the actions they took because of it. Continue reading “James 2:26 – Faith in Action”

Revelation 3:20 – A Relationship with Jesus

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelation 3:20

Those are Jesus’ words, speaking directly to our hearts. Jesus is asking permission to come in. He won’t ever barge in where he is not welcome. We’ve all known people in our lives who show up unannounced creating potentially awkward situations. Jesus will never do that.

Context: This is a great verse to memorize because you never know when you’ll need to assure someone that Jesus is patient and loving. When we commit verses to memory, it’s helpful to know the context of the verses so we don’t miss the “intended” meaning. In this case, Jesus was revealing to John a message to one of the seven churches of Revelation, Laodicea. Apparently, they were “lukewarm” in their faith, and Jesus wanted them to turn from their indifference. Does that context change how you view this text? Continue reading “Revelation 3:20 – A Relationship with Jesus”

Job 1:6-22 – Job’s First Test

Read Job 1:6-22

Before too much time passes, I wanted to pass on something I learned from my pastor husband, David, as I was preparing to start this reflection. An Old Testament scholar would know that the “Satan” we read about here must be taken into context. We bring a lot of “New Testament” knowledge about how evil is personified in Satan or the devil. People in Job’s time would not have that same knowledge. For them, Satan would be more of a prosecuting attorney or an accuser wanting to trip up or tempt one of God’s favorites.

Here, the accuser is pointing his finger at Job, the terrific guy who was notably God-fearing. God sure thought highly of Job as he told Satan, “He is the finest man in all the earth.” Don’t rush past that. God thought that about Job. Did Job know he pleased God that much? We are all God’s favorites, didn’t you know? Continue reading “Job 1:6-22 – Job’s First Test”

Nehemiah 3:1-32 – Communication

Read Nehemiah 3:1-32

That was quite a reading! To get the full effect of what was happening in this part of God’s plan, reading the whole chapter at once made sense. You may even want to read it over again so you can truly revel in the magnitude of Nehemiah’s mission and how he chronicled it for us, almost like a memoir.

Can’t you just picture the scene of men working together to reconstruct this critical piece of Jewish history! We’re given so much detail, recognizing many for their efforts. Nehemiah did a great job of recording these statistics for us. For those named, so many more were also dedicating this season of their lives to this project.

Ezra 7:27-28 – Giving Thanks

Read Ezra 7:27-28

Ezra sets a good example for the people and for us. Gratitude to God should be always shown. Ezra was touched by how the Lord was moving and demonstrated his gratefulness for God’s hand of protection and provision by giving thanks.

What is the last thing that you thanked God for? Was it the sunshine, a parking spot close to the door, a good report from the doctor, another breath. Sometimes we get busy and forget to give God the nod for being in our life. Don’t forget to invite him into your everyday tasks either.